After years of all but avoiding any mention of its mobile competitors, Apple has launched a new site that highlights iPhone's advantages as a smartphone, similar to its "Get a Mac" campaign that took on Windows PCs.

The new site, linked to a "Why iPhone" menu on the iPhone web site, is headlined "there's iPhone. And then there's everything else." Apple has also drawn attention to the new site in an email campaign.

Award winning, all of them

Apple notes that iPhone has, in "every study since the first iPhone was introduced," been ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Consumer Smartphones" by J.D. Power and Associates in a series of eight studies, based on criteria that includes "performance, physical design, features, and ease of operation."

The company also highlights its "meticulously considered" engineering, stating that iPhone is "make with a level of precision you?d expect from a finely crafted watch, not a smartphone. As a result, iPhone feels substantial in your hand and perfect in your pocket."

A third feature Apple touts is the iPhone's Retina Display, which Apple says "ushered in the era of super-high-resolution displays."

It adds, "Once you see a Retina display, you?re never satisfied with anything less. Yet it remains a feature found only on iPhone and other Apple products."

Life of the battery

A fourth differentiation Apple outlines is the company's battery technology, which it notes provides "great battery life" without "a great big battery."

The site says, "it?s extraordinary that we fit such a powerful battery into such a thin and light design ? all thanks to Apple scientists who created unique battery chemistry instead of settling for a large, off-the-shelf option."

At today's Engadget Expand conference, representatives from HTC and Samsung were asked on stage whether the exchangeable, monolithic battery was dead, particularly given the ease of recharging any phone via USB and the inconvenience of needing to power down a device in order to swap out its battery pack.

Also noted by Engadget's hosts was the advantage of packing the most battery capacity possible in small mobile devices. That's something Apple has long touted as an advantage in battery-integrated iPods, then the iPhone, then iPad and most recently even in high end MacBooks, even while the industry at large fretted and complained about the loss of replaceable batteries.

While integrated battery designs were touted at the event as the clear route for future devices, nobody on stage made any mention that this was something Apple had pioneered and promoted through years of criticism.

Instead, the concept was associated with Samsung, represented on stage, which has adopted Apple's use of non-replaceable battery designs in the same way it has appropriated Apple's other inventions, designs, marketing, software and retail stores right down to the design of icons and packaging materials.

Chips and wireless

Apple also cites the iPhone 5's "powerful but not power hungry" A6 chip, noting that "it makes quick work of even the most graphics-intensive apps, and high frame rates make gameplay feel smooth and downright real. And the A6 chip works hand in hand with iOS 6 to be extremely power efficient. So you don?t sacrifice battery life for speed."

In wireless, Apple touts the iPhone 5 as delivering "ultrafast wireless and LTE," stating that "Apple engineers not only created a way to fit LTE in the thin iPhone profile, they did it in a way that optimizes battery life, too. Dual-band 802.11n accelerates your Wi-Fi experience. And because iPhone 5 supports more networks all over the world, you can connect at blazing-fast speeds no matter where you are."

Samsung has upped the ante in wireless by adding support for even faster "wireless gigabit" 802.11ac WiFi networks that are just beginning to emerge (which Apple hasn't yet supported in any of its products).Samsung's latest Galaxy 4S announcement upped the ante in wireless by adding support for even faster "wireless gigabit" 802.11ac WiFi networks that are just beginning to emerge (which Apple hasn't yet supported in any of its products).

However, Apple's support for global LTE networks (introduced with the iPhone 5 and spread to the iPad 4 and iPad mini after a limited introduction on the "new iPad" a year ago) is notable in that it erases 4G LTE as an exclusive feature that many Android phones could claim as an advantage over previous models of iPhone.

Most popular camera

The "iSight camera on iPhone is the world?s most popular camera," Apple notes, highlighting that on Flickr, iPhone 5 is the third most popular camera, after the second place iPhone 4 and the first place iPhone 4S.

Samsung recently announced its new phone with an 13 megapixel sensor (a feature other manufacturers already have in production. However, Apple points out that "while other smartphones simply tout large amounts of megapixels, taking great pictures is about so much more."

Its new site states, "the 8MP camera on iPhone 5 captures great photo data, and the hardware and software work together to make behind-the-scenes image and color adjustments. So it?s easy for anyone to take impressive photos in various lighting conditions."

The only App Store

While Android enthusiasts have focused on "sideloading" of apps and content from various sources (including Google Play and Amazon's Appstore), Apple describes itself as the "one trusted source" for apps, music, movies and TV shows.

"With iPhone," the company says, "all that content comes from one source: Apple. The iTunes Store is the world?s largest and most trusted entertainment store. And the App Store is home to over 800,000 apps ? all reviewed by Apple to guard against malware. Other mobile platforms have a myriad of fragmented store options, resulting in availability issues, developer frustration, and security risks."

iOS 6: advanced and actually updated

Apple next profiles the iPhone's iOS 6 as "the world's most advanced operating system," stating that its "innovative features like Siri and FaceTime plus built-in apps make iPhone not just useful but fun."

Apple also points out that "iOS updates download right on iPhone, so the latest iOS version is just a tap away," an allusion to the fact that phones running other platforms, particularly Android, typically ship with outdated software and that their vendors rarely deliver any of the security fixes and feature updates that Google and its Android partners make available.

Google's "Android Update Alliance," a 2011 effort to encourage its licenses to commit to providing uses with at least an 18 month upgrade period, failed immediately. Ars Technicaobserved this winter that the program "resulted in exactly zero improvements to update timeliness."

That article, which examined the update policies of a variety of manufacturers and carriers, apologetically declared that "the notion itself of software updates after hardware release is still a relatively new concept, let alone the idea that hardware owners are entitled to feature-based updates," despite the fact that the article was written five and a half years after Apple first introduced rapid rollouts of free, comprehensive updates to mobile phones, a practice that it has continued into its sixth year of iPhones.

"It?s clear that the need for update improvements plagues the entire Android ecosystem"The article noted that "some phones, for one reason or another, never received updates during their lifetime. For the phones we selected, this wasn't a result of bad timing either?all phones we looked at had Android updates available to them within a reasonable time frame relative to the handset?s release, but for one reason another, the carrier or manufacturer never got around to pushing one out."

It concluded that "it?s clear that the need for update improvements plagues the entire Android ecosystem."

Siri and iCloud

Also outlined by Apple as significant differentiators of the iPhone are Siri and iCloud. "With Eyes Free," Apple notes, "you can use Siri to get things done in your car without taking your eyes off the road. You can speak naturally to Siri ? it understands what you say, knows what you mean, and helps you do the things you do every day."

Apple also highlights that iCloud takes the experience of using iPhone that much further," stating that it "stores your content ? your music, photos, apps, mail, contacts, calendars, documents, and more ? and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices."

The company adds, "iCloud is seamlessly integrated into your apps, and it all just works. So you?re up to date everywhere you go. All you have to do is nothing."

Support from real people

A final reason Apple gives to buy iPhones: "Every iPhone comes with support from real people who know everything there is to know about iPhone and iOS ? people you can call at 1-800-MY-APPLE or speak to in person at your favorite Apple Retail Store whenever you have questions or concerns."

Apple's unique control over iPhone's customer service experience, something Steve Jobs made a priority at its launch, risking rejection by carriers who fought against giving this up to Apple, is now a key differentiation.

"With other smartphones," the site states, "you?re not sure where to go for help. Call the manufacturer, and they tell you to call your service provider. Call your service provider, and they tell you to contact the OS developer. Getting answers shouldn?t be that hard. And with Apple, it never is."

Apple notes that iPhone has, in "every study since the first iPhone was introduced," been ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Consumer Smartphones" by J.D. Power and Associates in a series of eight studies, based on criteria that includes "performance, physical design, features, and ease of operation."

Who cares? "People take a company's stock price and performance into account when buying a product."

Originally Posted by SolipsismX
…they also don't list it being a trademark of Apple anywhere on that page, not even in the footer, which comes across as duplicitous.

edit: I just checked the pages of several of their Retina equipped products and none of them list it as being a trademark. I thought stating it as such was something that was required to protect the brand but that doesn't seem to be the case. They use to list it on pages so if none of the others have it then this one isn't single-handedly being deceptive.Edited by SolipsismX - 3/16/13 at 3:03pm

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

I take issue with their Retina display portion. They call it a feature without any indication it's their private, non-licensed brand and trademark. In itself I don't think it's a big deal in the text to simply call it a feature but they also don't list it being a trademark of Apple anywhere on that page, not even in the footer, which to me comes across as duplicitous.

It's clear that no other phone has matched the resolution yet AFAIK (without resorting to duplicities of their own at least), so when they say no one has matched it, it's still true IMO. Presumably when someone matches the resolution they will count it as "retina" even though the company in question won't have rights to the wording.

edit: I just checked the pages of several of their Retina equipped products and none of them list it as being a trademark. I thought stating it as such was something that was required to protect the brand but that doesn't seem to be the case. They use to list it on pages so if none of the others have it then this one isn't single-handedly being deceptive.

Hmm. I wouldn't have thought they'd do that. Ah, well. They were first.

I take issue with their Retina display portion. They call it a feature without any indication it's their private, non-licensed brand and trademark. In itself I don't think it's a big deal in the text to simply call it a feature but they also don't list it being a trademark of Apple anywhere on that page, not even in the footer, which to me comes across as duplicitous.

Well yes, Apple is saying it's the only source for its trademarked feature, but this is marketing. No different that if Samsung said it was the only source for the "S Pen."

There are other companies with high resolution (even higher pixel density) screens. But many of these offer resolutions that are slightly higher just for dick measuring reasons (Google's Retina-like Pixel) or have high res screens but low quality color accuracy and other negative aspects (like Samsung's trademarked PenTile Super AMOLED screens used in the Galaxy S III and new S4).

When you read marketing copy you have to be somewhat cognizant that its marketing. Apple's not ahead in every respect (as the article notes in regard to 802.11ac, for example), but the number of things Amazon can claim as exclusives are dwindling (LTE, 4" screen, dual band WiFi) while Apple's advantages are not being as effectively matched (apps, enterprise support, engineering prowess, battery life, updates, real customer support).

If Apple was doing spectacularly well with a non-LTE phone in 2011, imagine how well Android will do without a serious hardware advantage.

It's clear that no other phone has matched the resolution yet AFAIK (without resorting to duplicities of their own at least), so when they say no one has matched it, it's still true IMO. Presumably when someone matches the resolution they will count it as "retina" even though the company in question won't have rights to the wording.

The Galaxy S IV doesn't count since it's PenTile, but Nokia Lumia 920 is 332 PPI and the HTC Droid DNA/Butterfly is 440 PPI. The Nokia was released in November and the HTC in December or 2012. I would say both qualify as besting the resolution of the 2010 iPhone 4. There are also many others that would fall into the "retina" category that are just under the iPhone's 326 PPI.Edited by SolipsismX - 3/16/13 at 3:18pm

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

It's a little suspect since it doesn't list a single iPhone but has a great many Android phones, 3 Windows phones, and the BB Z10.

edit: Took me forever to find this device from 2010. It's a Japanese phone that has the exact same 3.5" display and 960x640 display as the iPhone 4 that launched that year but uses a competitor to IPS called ASV.

Yeah I got this in my email. The s4 is so hard to use, you have to be a genius to figure out every software feature on this phone and many of these features nobody will even use. Such as S voice drive, smart pause/scroll, S health, and useless camera features etc...

I was under the impression that those that exceeded it were PenTile displays and thus *not* really exceeding it. Like the new Galaxy phone that every tech review says has "more pixels than the iPhone" but every review also fails to mention that it's PenTile.

Even if that's incorrect, as others have mentioned, the screens in question are still not as sharp or as accurate as the iPhone screens. Any objective review of screens would no doubt come out with Apple having the best screen if they take all factors into consideration.

Originally Posted by SolipsismX
…they also don't list it being a trademark of Apple anywhere on that page, not even in the footer, which comes across as duplicitous.

Well they also don't mention in the footer that they Photoshoped the screens on the phone images. Particularly noticeable in the iMovie image as it is the same exact shot as on the iPhone page except this time the phone is white. In fact all the phones are white on the new site, they really like the white phone.

Having done a lot of product photography I realize it is virtually impossible to get good display screen shots with a camera. You pretty much have to Photoshop them in.

I actually like the white one better too. iPhone 5 was the first time I bought the white one. Same with the iPad mini. I never thought I would like the white but now I like it better than my previous black ones.

Having done a lot of product photography I realize it is virtually impossible to get good display screen shots with a camera. You pretty much have to Photoshop them in.

That is something I would never have noticed.

Quote:

I actually like the white one better too. iPhone 5 was the first time I bought the white one. Same with the iPad mini. I never thought I would like the white but now I like it better than my previous black ones.

I got the white, too, but I also really like the colour of the metal compared to the black model. I am using a case this time around, but only because I just had to have the TARDIS case and sound effects on my phone. I'm a wee bit of a Doctor Who fan.

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

The OS updates thing is a good point. If your Android phone is not getting updated then it's not getting security updates. The availability of dedicated stores is also good.

One other thing that Apple doesn't get enough credit for is getting music, movie, tv companies to sell their wares online. I feel like Apple did all the hard work of convincing them, and then others just came along and (in effect) asked for the same contract.

I got the white, too, but I also really like the colour of the metal compared to the black model. I am using a case this time around, but only because I just had to have the TARDIS case and sound effects on my phone. I'm a wee bit of a Doctor Who fan.

Despite the several mentions of the word 'pond' in that last special it never occurred to me until Steven Moffat wanted me to realize it. Favourite TV writer. Big fan of Coupling and Sherlock, too. Very happy Benedict Cumberbatch let it leak last week that there is a 4th series of Sherlock planned after the 3rd, that began filming this month.

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

Despite the several mentions of the word 'pond' in that last special it never occurred to me until Steven Moffat wanted me to realize it. Favourite TV writer. Big fan of Coupling and Sherlock, too. Very happy Benedict Cumberbatch let it leak last week that there is a 4th series of Sherlock planned after the 3rd, that began filming this month.

That's news to me about Sherlock, thanks, looking forward to it. Yes he is a very clever writer.

That's news to me about Sherlock, thanks, looking forward to it. Yes he is a very clever writer.

He had just mentioned it, I think, 4 days ago. I stumbled upon it when I was looking for a release date for series 3.

PS: I had my doubts about the US version Elementary and those doubts were reaffirmed with the pilot episode which oddly had Lucy Lui as Joan Watson making the more brilliant discoveries in the case but after that the show has been fantastic. The stories have been very clever and engaging.

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

It doesn't differentiate between "regular" and PenTile either. Without that, it's meaningless.

HTC's, LG's and Sony's 1080p screens aren't pentile - and they look much better than the iPhone screen (admittedly, a case could be made against the Xperia Z's screen because it has poor viewing angles).

It's a little suspect since it doesn't list a single iPhone but has a great many Android phones, 3 Windows phones, and the BB Z10.
[/LIST]

Some of those phones (but not all) are Pentile - and therefore not really comparable.

It is true, however, that there are some screens that do match or exceed the iPhone's screen in terms of resolution. Once you reach 'retina', there's really no point in exceeding it by any significant amount. It amazes me to see so many screens in the 400 range. Why bother? Your eye can't tell the difference once it's past about 330 (unless you're holding the phone much closer to your face - which doesn't seem likely when these phones are mostly larger than the iPhone). More pixels means that you need to use more energy and have a more powerful GPU. Depending on the screen technology, you may also need brighter (or multiple) backlights. So what's the point of 468 pixels per inch (HTC One), for example? No benefit, but significant downside.

Unless you're simply playing spec games, it would almost certainly be a better design if you're at 330 (maybe slightly higher because some people have vision that's slightly better than average) and then focus on improving brightness, energy efficiency, viewing angle, color accuracy, etc.Edited by jragosta - 3/17/13 at 6:58am

"I'm way over my head when it comes to technical issues like this"Gatorguy 5/31/13

Some of those phones (but not all) are Pentile - and therefore not really comparable.

It is true, however, that there are some screens that do match or exceed the iPhone's screen in terms of resolution. Once you reach 'retina', there's really no point in exceeding it by any significant amount. It amazes me to see so many screens in the 400 range. Why bother? Your eye can't tell the difference once it's past about 330 (unless you're holding the phone much closer to your face - which doesn't seem likely when these phones are mostly larger than the iPhone). More pixels means that you need to use more energy and have a more powerful GPU. Depending on the screen technology, you may also need brighter (or multiple) backlights. So what's the point of 468 pixels per inch (HTC One), for example? No benefit, but significant downside.

Unless you're simply playing spec games, it would almost certainly be a better design if you're at 330 (maybe slightly higher because some people have vision that's slightly better than average) and then focus on improving brightness, energy efficiency, viewing angle, color accuracy, etc.

I really wouldn't make this judgement without having seen the phones side by side. I haven't had a chance to play with the HTC One yet (duh, it's not out in my country), but I was able to compare an iPhone and an HTC Butterfly/DNA and a Sony Xperia Z. I know it's anecdotal and just my subjective perception, but the 1080p screens looked way sharper; there really was a tangible difference (which was somewhat mitigated by the Xperia's bad viewing angles). So personally I'd argue that higher PPI isn't pointless at all. There's also some added benefits in having a standard resolution like 1080p on your phone, most notably when playing movies. Also, leaving aside the question as to whether the difference in PPI between the iPhone and these other flagships is noticeable, tha fact of the matter is that these competing phone offer retina-quality at a much larger screen size, which makes for a markedly different user experience. Note: I didn't say it was a better user experience, but it certainly is a different one - one many users seem to prefer, if the sales numbers of large-screened phones are any indication. Personally, I'd welcome it if Apple offered a bigger iPhone, say 5 inches with double the resolution of the 4-inch iPhone, just like they offer the iPad in two different sizes.

PS: I had my doubts about the US version Elementary and those doubts were reaffirmed with the pilot episode which oddly had Lucy Lui as Joan Watson making the more brilliant discoveries in the case but after that the show has been fantastic. The stories have been very clever and engaging.

A little too tied up and and tidied up every 47 minutes, but pretty darn good, I have to say. Very edgy by US mainstream standards. I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Tim Cook is gay, believes in climate change, and cares deeply about racial equality. Deal with it (and please spare us if you can't).

After years of all but avoiding any mention of its mobile competitors, Apple has launched a new site that highlights iPhone's advantages as a smartphone, similar to its "Get a Mac" campaign that took on Windows PCs.

Forget some tentative steps on a website. Nice, but lame.

Apple needs an aggressive advertising strategy that channels 'Get a Mac.' Hope one is in the works.

Tim Cook is gay, believes in climate change, and cares deeply about racial equality. Deal with it (and please spare us if you can't).

Here's the headshot. No one else, NO ONE ELSE, can claim this. Apple has ruled nearly all mobile Consumer Satisfaction metrics from the introduction of the iPhone. In fact, Apple rules Consumer Satisfaction with an iron fist across ALL of its products, from desktops to mobile.

It's really the only metric that actually means anything, on the ground, in the real world. It's the best expression of how "innovation" (whatever THAT means), specs, ecosystem, UI, and everything, comes together into a single package. It's about how it all works together, and how consumers respond to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Award winning, all of them

Apple notes that iPhone has, in "every study since the first iPhone was introduced," been ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Consumer Smartphones" by J.D. Power and Associates in a series of eight studies, based on criteria that includes "performance, physical design, features, and ease of operation."

One other thing that Apple doesn't get enough credit for is getting music, movie, tv companies to sell their wares online. I feel like Apple did all the hard work of convincing them, and then others just came along and (in effect) asked for the same contract.

Perhaps apple don't get all of the credit because of the fact that other firms had negotiated contracts with the record companies to sell tracks at 99c long before iTunes was released.

Although most of them are true, ( apart from Retina, if they are talking about PPI, and not "Apple's Retina" ), Siri doesn't work well outside UK/US. iCloud is ... just not there yet.
Support from Real People? They forgot to put in US or UK only where most of their Apple Stored are Opened.

Seriously, Apple is still moving at the same pace as it was. The problem is this time around its competitor isn't Microsoft but Google and Samsung.

Some of those phones (but not all) are Pentile - and therefore not really comparable.

It is true, however, that there are some screens that do match or exceed the iPhone's screen in terms of resolution. Once you reach 'retina', there's really no point in exceeding it by any significant amount. It amazes me to see so many screens in the 400 range. Why bother? Your eye can't tell the difference once it's past about 330 (unless you're holding the phone much closer to your face - which doesn't seem likely when these phones are mostly larger than the iPhone). More pixels means that you need to use more energy and have a more powerful GPU. Depending on the screen technology, you may also need brighter (or multiple) backlights. So what's the point of 468 pixels per inch (HTC One), for example? No benefit, but significant downside.

Unless you're simply playing spec games, it would almost certainly be a better design if you're at 330 (maybe slightly higher because some people have vision that's slightly better than average) and then focus on improving brightness, energy efficiency, viewing angle, color accuracy, etc.

1) TS pointed that out to me earlier. I think I noted my mistake in the "thumb's up" section of his post.

2) I would disagree that a benefit can't be had once you get to Apple's definition of Retina. It's well within the normal range of where people hold a phone and most of the world does not have 20/20(6/6) vision but there are some that will not be completely served by Apple until they do another jump. I don't think it's a high requirement by Apple and I think most are trying to one-up each other for their spec sheet without concern for whether it's PenTile, the power usage, the frame rate, or other aspects that make a display good, but I don't think we are at a level where we can forget about increasing it over time. Aren't magazines about 600 DPI?

Quote:

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

A little too tied up and and tidied up every 47 minutes, but pretty darn good, I have to say. Very edgy by US mainstream standards. I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Try an average of 44 minutes. Most US hour long dramas are a little shorter at 42 minutes.

I like the tidy episodic arcs. I watch enough stuff that commits me to a season or series* long arcs. Sometimes I just want something that will complete quickly.

The series arc will ultimately be Moriarty but Elementary oddly has a lot of talk about Sherlock's father. I have to wonder if he won't turn out to be the infamous Moriarty or at least has the facts leading to Sherlock's father, whom he doesn't trust or respect anyway, before revealing the the truth. They might also use his father as an Unseen Character** to justify his addiction and insert drama as needed to move the story along.

* US usage of series
** Like Norm's wife Vera on Cheers or Howard Wolowitz' mother on The Big Bang Theory.

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.